Tuesday, May 14, 2013

POMME DE TERRE PRIMEUR DE ILE DE RE

Another great thing about France is that regionality to a degree still trumps mass production. Don't get me wrong, I know there are industrial cheeses, meats and wines available at Carrefour nationwide, but in the small towns around this country you have an easier time to find something authentic regional. Cheese and wine being a given, but there are lots of other items unique to their areas which carry an A.O.C. lable for being from one specific region And one of them being potatos from the Ile de Re. We went to that island last year, but not during the season when you see them being sold. A new Epicerie in town here had some this morning, so I finally bought a few. And now that we tried them, I am going back for more. Unbelievable that such a common product can have such a different flavor from any I had before. To be honest, I was not sure what to expect, saltiness from the climate and soil? They apparently use seaweed as fertilizer, maybe that? Not so. Not sure which variety I bought, but they had an incredibly sweet flavor to them. Hard to compare, but really really good. All I did was simmer them until soft to the core, cut them up and added some raw milk butter and salt. When a product is that good, no need to mask it with anything. Not sure how widely they are available, but if you see them at a store near you, buy some. They are worth the money.